For our first-ever Booooooom Photo Awards we selected 6 winners, one for each category: CLIMATE, PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS, SERENDIPITY, COMMUNITY. Here is our interview with SERENDIPITY Winner Jeremy Au Yeung.

Jeremy is a documentary photographer based in Vancouver. Since childhood, Jeremy has been fascinated with preserving his memories. His obsession with preservation has led him to document everything from the important people in his life, and places he’s traveled, to mundane daily moments. He aims to capture fleeting moments in time so they can be returned to and relived in their rawest form. His favourite photographs are ones with a clear narrative that allow viewers to fully embody and experience what was captured.

What is the story behind your winning image?

I was watching a family take turns jumping off a point at the famous Flowerpot Island in Ontario. I had to go but I had a feeling that if I stuck around for a minute longer I would see something special. That extra minute got me one of my favourite moments I’ve ever captured.

What are your eyes being drawn to lately?

Currently I’ve been drawn to filling a frame with interesting textures.

What do you most enjoy looking at through your viewfinder?

I love taking environmental portraits and telling stories.

Who else’s images are exciting you these days?

Recently obsessed with a photojournalist named Franco Pagetti.

What’s the best piece of advice someone ever gave you (and who gave it to you)?

When I first entered the wedding world I worked under an OG – Dennis Yu from Markham, Ontario. He told me that working as a photographer, one eye looked for art, the other looked for money. It sounded better when said in Cantonese.

Finish this sentence: “For me, photography is…”

For me photography is the one constant thing I’ve practiced my whole life; I document everything.

What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish in the next year or so?

In the next year I’d like to continue to grow my wedding business here in Vancouver! I’ve shot weddings for 12 years in Toronto before moving to Vancouver late 2021 and am now in the process of rebuilding my brand and rep over here.

What about one thing you’d like to accomplish in your lifetime?

I’d like to be known as an established story teller through my photography.